The more things change

摘要

Of the two candidates in the American presidential election, it is John McCain who knows something about Latin America. Not only was he born in Panama, he also visited Colombia and Mexico in July. He thinks the United States should ratify a free-trade agreement with Colombia and, at least until it became politically toxic, wanted to reform immigration policy. Ask him who the United States' most important friends around the word are and he pretty quickly mentions Brazil.rnAnd yet if they had a vote, Latin Americans, like Europeans, would cast it for Ba-rack Obama-though without much enthusiasm. Preliminary data from the latest Latinobarometro poll, taken in 18 countries over the past month and published exclusively by The Economist, show that 29% of respondents think an Obama victory would be better for their country, against only 8% favouring Mr McCain. Perhaps surprisingly, 30% say that it makes no difference who wins, while 31% claim ignorance. Enthusiasm for Mr Obama is partic-rnularly high in the Dominican Republic (52%), Costa Rica, Uruguay and Brazil (41%).